Age of the Ancients
Category:History The Age of the Ancients lasted approximately from -15,000 AFE to 0 AFE. =Overview= The Age of the Ancients was a time where the (now extinct) Ancients race dominated the whole of Ehrdi. Referring to themselves as "Supregens" or, "The High Ones," they developed faster than any other race in the world; by the time they had reached their own Iron Age, the rest of Ehrdi still scraped by as nomads and cavemen, using stone and wooden tools. =Rise of the Ancients= By -15,000 AFE, the Ancients began spreading outwards from their central Vestin domain. Easily conquering their primitive neighbors, the Ancients soon controlled all of Vestin, and began building great cities throughout the continent. All of Vestin became a center for culture and technology. The enslaved Drude, Illph, and Duendo, though all now slaves of the Ancients, were originally kept strictly in their home territories, keeping the cultural divide between them. =The Ancients' Expansion= For many years the Ancients focused on strengthening their empire's inner-workings in Vestin, but by -14,800 AFE they decided to spread their power overseas. Using their vast, but untested navy, the Ancients sailed into Aust, where they quickly conquered the native Senjo and Vorgess. Once again, the empire focused on its internal structure, fully securing their standing within their two continents. Around -14,600 AFE they chose to expand yet again, this time sailing directly south into Nordin and overwhelming the Ziegun. Once again, they held their ground for centuries and concentrated on internal affairs. The Faeri of Vestin and Aust, though still different physically, were now tied through the Ancient's culture, though they kept certain cultural traits and religious practices. Repeating their history, the Ancients spread out again a thousand years later, this time conquering the Datong and Subagel of Suud. They finished their conquest there -- despite their vast power and technology, the Ancients did not wish to conqueror the Dragons, though no historian is quite sure exactly why. Whether it be out of fear or respect or another reason remains unknown. =The Decline of the Ancients= The Ancients' great civilization reached its peak in -10,000 AFE. Its empire at its oldest area was five thousand years old and holding strong. Its slaves were either complacent or kept in tight control where rebellion threated to bloom. However, even the mighty Ancients could not hold their global empire forever. Decline happened gradually. By -7,000 AFE, the Ancients numbers had dwindled due to a series of droughts and famines that had lasted for the past two hundred years. Many "slave races" believed their gods were finally rebelling against the Ancient deities for their subjection of the world. With less support from the gods, the Ancients lost considerable power. Recent advancements in magical research had led to arrogance and more than one disaster that felled major cities. The slave races noticed this weakening and began to resist, though on a small scale. By -4,000 AFE, the Ancients had weakened enough to allow their slaves to attack and rebel openly, starting what would be the most (in)famous and longest war Ehrdi has yet to see. =End of the Age: The War of the Ancient's Fall= Much of their power already dwindled, the Ancients found themselves attacked on all fronts. Though still populous and powerful enough to keep their unruly slaves at bay, the Ancients found they could not fully control their territories as before. After some two-hundred years of endless battles, the Ancients lost hold of the Datong and retreated their forces from mainland Suud by -2954 AFE. Their retraction from conquered territories did not end there. By -2739 AFE, the Ancients lost control of the Subagel Suud and the Ziegun Nordin. Despite losing control of three races, the Ancients maintained hold on the Faeri for some time, though rebellion still burned brightly in Aust and Vestin. The Faeri races finally broke Ancient defenses of Aust in -1321 AFE. A decade later, the Ancients were gone from the eastern continent, retreating back to their original Vestin. There the three native Faeri tribes, more advanced than the other slaves thanks to longer association with Ancient culture, fought back fiercely. In -1000 AFE, the Ancients were pushed back to their original land in central Vestin. Here the Faeri let them remain, though they kept a close eye on the former imperialists. There the Ancients attempted to rebuild their civilization, but failed ultimately. Around -246 AFE the Ancient deities were brought back into oblivion by Vador and Muder, who decided that to maintain the balance, especially with the emergence of Humans, the Ancients time had come to an end, as did their gods. The loss of their creators sapped most of what was left of the Ancients' willpower and ambition, and in 0 AFE, the last of Ancients finally died out in a skirmish with the Duendo, bringing Ehrdi into the Age of Nomads.